One Second
by Katalinagrey
Summary: For Kate, it only takes one second for everything to happen.


**One Second**

Disclaimer: Christ, I hate repeating myself. Okay: I do not own Lost. I wish I could, 'cause that would be totally awesome. But I don't. I also don't own the song featured here. Happy now?

Author's Note: I was barely into the second half when I decided this song, "Run" by Snow Patrol, was perfect for Kate. When I tried to place it into the fic featured here, it seemed to nicely mend and yet sharply contrasts at the same time. It was a pleasant experiment, to say the least.

Summary: Running just happens to be Kate's greatest talents. Doesn't mean she'll run in the opposite direction, however.

_I'll sing it one last time for you  
Then we really have to go  
You've been the only thing that's right  
In all I've done_

I am impossible. I can't leave without you, Jack. I will not run. I will not run without you, even though it is impossible to run away from these people. I have to tell you why, Jack.

"Jack, I can't—"

"Kate, dammit, run!"

It takes one second for you to say that.

The rain hammers us all. Pickett glares at me. I can feel the man behind me glaring at me too. Sawyer seems calm, but his eyes tell me one thing: _Don't run, Freckles. It's no use.  
_

Shut up James.

I turn around, facing the guy with the gun at my head. His glare became more intense. "Don't even think—"

It takes one second. I lunge, my fist connects to his nose. Red sprays across his face, mingling with the rain. "Kate!" Pickett yells. I punch his friend again, stunning him as I twist his wrist, forcing him to let go of the gun. His fingers slip and drop the gun. I take it and pull the trigger point blank.

White flash before me, I heard a bang before the rain. I heard a thud and a yell. I turn and see Sawyer lunge at Pickett, his fists hammering against Pickett's face. Pickett aim the gun at him, he's going to kill Sawyer! I could see—

It takes one second. Sawyer ducks and tackles Pickett down to the ground. I glance at the second Other. He clenches his leg, forgetting me. He wails like a wounded animal. I jump over him, out of the cage. (I have to help.) Sawyer pins Pickett's arm down with his knee, punching him again and again and again, trying to force him to let it go. I yank it from his grip. Pickett made a moaning noise, like his friend.

"We gotta go," I say, holding the guns in both hands.

Sawyer looks at me, still having that dark acceptance on his stupid, handsome face. "There's nowhere to run, Freckles."

"You are telling that to the wrong person."

_And I can barely look at you  
But every single time I do  
I know we'll make it anywhere  
Away from here_

He jerks back in surprise. "You con, I run." I remind him.

Sawyer does not look accepting anymore. He had the look of amazement that then turns into the feral look he has when he becomes serious. Sawyer nodded and turns to Pickett to give another friendly tap on the head. Pickett stop struggling, his eyes close, knock out.

"Which way, Louise?" Sawyer grunted as I hand him Pickett's gun.

I gesture to a path. "This way. There's a beach."

"Lead on."

_Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice  
I'll be right beside you dear_

Lighting flashes at our eyes, but we ignore it.

We ran. We ran and ran, with me in the led because this is what I am good at. I am so sorry, Jack. I don't want to leave you. I love you like I love Sawyer. Don't think that kiss in the jungle wasn't real. It took one second, but it lasts forever. Don't you dare forget that kiss, Jack, no matter what you may think of me with Sawyer. I'm not with you, but I can hear your voice.

An Other charge at us, his face distorted by the rain. I aim my gun at him and fire. He falls. I don't care if he's dead now. (It takes one second.) I don't care about them the Others or them the Survivors. I care about running and saving you.

Saving you only takes one second.

_Louder louder  
And we'll run for our lives  
I can hardly speak I understand  
Why you can't raise your voice to say_

Sawyer grabs my hand. I don't pull away. He needs guidance. He is good at deceiving, but I am good at running. He doesn't know how to run like I do. It takes him one second to become from caring to indifferent as it takes one second for me to go from Canada to Australia.

One second.

One second, Jack that is all it takes. One second to convince me to kill my father, one second for the bullet to kill my childhood, one second to save the farmer, one second to love, one second to despise. (The thunder roars like a lion.)

We ran past trees. We ran past concrete buildings. We even ran past the construction site. But we still follow the path before us. It'll take us to our escape. I'm surprise the alarms hadn't gone off yet. Jack must have used one of the Others to blackmail them into not raising the alarms.

Everything is made into one second. One second to cry for you if something happens.

_To think I might not see those eyes  
Makes it so hard not to cry  
And as we say our long goodbye  
I nearly do_

This better not be our good-bye once this hour is up. No, it will not. Why? Because we will go back to the island where the survivors and tell Sayid and Locke and Mr. Eko and everyone else what we know now.

You want a revolution, Jack?

We'll give you one.

I'll be there. I'll come back; I will not run away, Jack. I will run forward and I will bring you back because you save me in one second again and again and I will not rest until I find my final peace with you.

I will run. I will run in all directions to get you back. You want me to run, Jack? Okay then. I'll toward towards you. I'll run straight to you, like or not. I always repay my debts, even to the Marshall.

And I want to see your eyes wide in amazement when you see us all.

_Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice  
I'll be right beside you dear_

A pink umbrella blew past us, a vivid dash of color against the gray. We ran past it. The ground, I notice, became a mix of dirt and sand. We're close to the beach. We reach a fork in the path. "This way!" I pointed to the right. That is where the beach I was in with Ben.

I'm beside you Jack. I'm beside you Sawyer. I won't side with either of you, I will side with both of you. You are no longer enemies. I am no longer your enemy. The Others are our enemies.

Live together, die alone.

_Louder louder  
And we'll run for our lives  
I can hardly speak I understand  
Why you can't raise your voice to say_

Thunder roars at our ears.

I wonder whose life you are threatening. It must be Ben. Only Jack could have the total power to end Ben's life. I can see the fleeting irony before me, but it took one second for it to past on by.

My heart beats loudly. I can see why. I'm running, after all. I'm excited to be free, to hold Sawyer's hand, to run, to the idea that I'll save you as you save me god knows how many times.

It takes one second for you to save me. It takes Sawyer one second to save me. It takes one second for me to save both of you.

I love you both it is hard to compete, but I had to choose so I choose Sawyer. I still don't know why I choose him, but I regret nothing. It takes one second to regret and I am done with regrets.

"Everybody deserves a fresh start," an old man once told me before turning me in to the Marshall. It took him one second to betray me. It took me one second to save him. It took Sawyer one second to pull the trigger on the Marshall. Funny, I know his name is Edward Mars but I think of him as the Marshall.

_Slower slower  
We don't have time for that  
All I want is to find an easier way  
To get out of our little heads_

My legs are screaming at me. I want to rest, (go slow) but no time, we have to find a boat, there has to be a—

"Freckles!"

I stumble to my knees. Sawyer lifts me up. "Look! A boat!"

Yes, there is. I could see a tier. In the end of the tier is a boat that looks familiar . . .

"Son a bitch," Sawyer snarls. "It's ours!"

Desmond's, actually. The _Elizabeth._ But I don't bother to correct Sawyer. Unfortunately, there are two guys on it. They couldn't see us through the rain and the shrubbery that covers us that we hid behind. Who knows what guns they have, or there are more than two.

"Now what?" I ask, gripping my pistol tightly.

"Take it, of course." I look at him. "What, you thought they would give it us if we say 'please'?"

"No, actually." I say. "Let's go."

_Have heart my dear  
We're bound to be afraid  
Even if it's just for a few days  
Making up for all this mess  
_

I'm scared, but I can't let that get in the way. I will run to save you, Jack, and if that means to run away from you then that's what it takes. It is time to run to anywhere, to even hell itself for those that mean everything to me. I'll run away to run to you Jack. I'll run away to run to you Sawyer. I'll run for everyone because I am good at running.

I'll run to make up my mess. I won't run away anymore.

This time, I fight by running.

Because it takes less than one second for me to run.

I let go Sawyer's hand and nearly flew to the tier. I went way ahead of Sawyer, gun ready in my hand. One of them notices me. He shouts a warning. I fire without a thought. The man grabs his stomach as he fell.

Another Other withdrew a gun and fires. I could feel the bullet graze my arm. I duck and let Sawyer return fire. The man collapse like a puppet without strings, a bullet into his brain. Sawyer kicks the body out of the boat, into the raining bay.

"You know about boats?" I ask Sawyer, keeping watch.

"Oh yeah." He took the wheel and turn the engine on. "Now what, Kate?"

"Get out of here, first of all. They'll be coming."

"Right."

Sawyer eases the _Elizabeth_ out of the tier and into the ocean. "I'm going to contact Jack again. He needs to know where he's at," I say.

"We don't know where he is, Freckles!"

"He doesn't that we are on a different island."

Sawyer doesn't let out an "oh" but he eyes did widen a bit.

"Jack?"

"Kate. Are you okay?" Jack, you sound exhausted.

"Jack, you need to know—"

Damn you Jack, you interrupt me. "I know, Kate. I know. Tell me the story I told you about."

"Jack, I'll tell you but you need to know—"

Jack snaps "I know, Kate! I know! It doesn't matter. Now tell me the story!" Doesn't matter, Jack? It means everything!

I stare at the wet white floor below me. I can't bring myself to meet Sawyer's eyes. "You were injured. I was walking by. You asked for help for your wound and I did and I thought I was about to throw up on you. I wasn't use to blood."

I can feel Sawyer staring at me, hard and fierce like a lion. "You told me your first surgery on a girl and you went through sixteen hours of fixing her up. While you were sewing her up, you accidentally cut her open again and nerves spilled out of her like angel hair pasta."

I can hear Sawyer whisper, "Ugh."

"You were scared, but you didn't run. You let the fear take over for only five seconds. You counted them down. One, two, three, four, five. After that, you sowed her up, and the next day she was fine."

Static erupted suddenly. We're losing the signal.

"Kate . . .zzzggtt. . . . come back . . .understand? Zzzggttzz. . ." My heart roars in its pounding, it pounds my ears.

"Jack, you're breaking up."

"Don't come . . . Zzzggt . . . Kate."

"Jack!"

"Hhzzzz . . . . run."

"Jack!"

Static.

"Jack!"

Static again.

"JACK!"

Sawyer gently takes the walkie away from me and turns it off. "That's all we can do, Freckles. Let him go."

I realize I am crying. I look at him, staring straight in the eye and say "I run so I can come back, Sawyer."

Sawyer slights his head slightly in thought as he steers the boat. I continue on, "We are coming back here. We are coming back not for Jack. We're coming back for everyone else. Jack is not alone there.

"Jack wants a war then we'll give him one."

Sawyer jerks his head back to me, the boat forgotten.

"And I'll come running."

Sawyer kisses me and I kiss back. It takes one second.

_Light up, light up  
As if you have a choice  
Even if you cannot hear my voice  
I'll be right beside you dear_


End file.
